The invention relates to a magnetic tape cassette provided with magnetic tape on two coplanar reels in a housing having two plane parallel main walls interconnected by transverse walls, of which one transverse wall constitutes a cassette front wall having a central opening, and a shutter which is movable between a closed position and an open position to cover the central opening in the closed position and to expose said opening in the open position.
In recent new systems employing magnetic-tape cassettes for recording video signals or digital audio signals the high information density on the magnetic tape leads to high susceptibility to the effects of dirt and dust. To protect the magnetic tape the cassettes are therefore provided with a shutter which can close the openings in the cassette when the cassette has been removed from the apparatus.
A magnetic tape of the type defined in the opening sentence is known in the form of a VHS tape. An apparatus for playing the known tape is disclosed in DE 34 14 598 A1 and the known cassette is disclosed in DE 30 45 438 A1. This known cassette comprises a shutter which is pivotable about an axis parallel to the front wall of the cassette and which in its open position overlies the main wall of the cassette. This means that space must be available in the apparatus above the cassette to accommodate the shutter.
A new magnetic tape cassette system having apparatus for playing new cassettes having a shutter as well as existing compact cassettes without shutters will be introduced. It would be advantageous if the new cassettes with a shutter were designed so that they were to a large degree mechanically interchangeable with the existing compact cassettes so that existing apparatus have to be modified only to a minimal extent. An additional advantage will then be that the manufacturers of the existing apparatus can manufacture the new apparatus without drastically modifying the production process.
However, if the shutter is of a construction similar to that of the above-mentioned prior-art cassette disclosed in DE 30 45 438 A1 this means that in the apparatus space should be provided which is not available in the existing apparatus of the Compact Cassette system. This requires drastic modifications in the apparatus, so that the manufacturers should invest additionally in the production of the apparatus.